President Barack Obama spoke about the power of faith on Thursday morning, telling those gathered at the National Prayer Breakfast that it can be used to conquer any fears in life.

Obama gave a speech centered on 2nd Timothy 1:7 NKJV, which states “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind.” The verse was woven throughout his address, which also urged people of all faiths to respect religious liberties of other groups.

“Fear does funny things,” Obama said during his address. “Fear can lead us to lash out against those who are different, or lead us to try to get some sinister ‘other’ under control. Alternatively, fear can lead us to succumb to despair, or paralysis, or cynicism.”

The president spoke about how his faith has helped him overcome fear.

“For me, and I know for so many of you, faith is the great cure for fear. Jesus is a good cure for fear,” Obama said in his speech. “God gives believers the power, the love, the sound mind required to conquer any fear. And what more important moment for that faith than right now?”

Obama briefly touched on some of the issues facing the world like terrorism, climate change and refugees fleeing their homes — “those things are real,” he said — though cautioned that fear had the power to consume people and trigger consequences “worse than any outward threat.”

He said that faith in Jesus can help the world find strength in today’s society.

“His love gives us the power to resist fear’s temptations,” Obama said in his speech. “He gives us the courage to reach out to others across that divide, rather than push people away. He gives us the courage to go against the conventional wisdom and stand up for what’s right, even when it’s not popular. To stand up not just to our enemies but, sometimes, to stand up to our friends.”

The National Prayer Breakfast is a non-denominational event where people gather in prayer.

Obama gave his speech to a room filled with bipartisan lawmakers, celebrities and religious leaders from several faiths. The president commended how people who follow different religions have united and cooperated in relief efforts for the Haiti earthquake, West African ebola epidemic and Flint water crisis, and have helped welcome refugees who have fled Syria.

Obama stressed different faiths share common tenants and encouraged religious tolerance.

“Just as we call on other countries to respect the rights of religious minorities, we, too, respect the right of every single American to practice their faith freely,” Obama said during his speech. “For this is what each of us is called on to do: To seek our common humanity in each other. To make sure our politics and our public discourse reflect that same spirit of love and sound mind. To assume the best in each other and not just the worst … To begin each of our works from the shared belief that all of us want what’s good and right for our country and our future.”

Obama also welcomed the safe return of Saeed Abedini, a pastor who had been held prisoner in Iran and was recently freed as part of the implementation of the Iran Nuclear Deal.

“We pray for God’s protection for all around the world who are not free to practice their faith, including Christians who are persecuted, or who have been driven from their ancient homelands by unspeakable violence,” Obama said during his address.

Other speakers included House Speaker Paul Ryan and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who also stressed common themes from different religions before reading from John 13, 15 and 17.

“This command of love is not confined to the New Testament,” Pelosi told those gathered. “The same message stands at the center of the Torah and the teachings of the prophet Muhammad, too. From the Torah, it says ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ And from Muhammad, ‘None of you has faith until he loves for his brother or his neighbor what he loves for himself.’”

The keynote address was given by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, the husband and wife who produced the 2014 film “Son of God” and the 2013 History Channel miniseries “The Bible.”

Downey and Burnett discussed their film during a 2014 appearance on The Jim Bakker Show.